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Mukuru extends footprint across Southern Africa
Africa-focused remittance and money transfer services provider Mukuru is extending its physical presence and agent network across Southern Africa.
According to a statement released by the company, its successful deployment of Orange booths in the region underscores the true scalability of the Mukuru payments platform, which in turn, is being supported by the digitisation of key Mukuru functionalities.
Mukuru adds that despite the economic and political hardships in the region, which have been deepened by the global pandemic, its remittance flows across African borders have remained remarkably resilient in recent months – “highlighting not only the growing trust in both physical and digital money transfers, but also the lifeline that remittances are providing to many families and communities at this time.”
Andy Jury, CEO, Mukuru, said: “As we grow our physical footprint in Southern Africa and bring our services to more people by way of booths and an entrepreneurial agent network, this growth is being complemented by the progressive digitisation of key steps in the Mukuru payments process.”
“With more and more digital access points over USSD, WhatsApp and the Mukuru App, for instance, customers are becoming increasingly comfortable with things like self-sign up, including digital KYC and onboarding, which is not only raising our brand presence, but is shifting customers that much closer to financial inclusion and higher levels of financial transaction sophistication.”
For instance, since the early days of the global pandemic and social restrictions in South Africa, almost half of Mukuru’s new SA sign-ups have come via digital self-sign up - indicating the appetite and need for such a capability.
As a home-grown African Fintech provider, Mukuru has underpinned its successful customer engagement strategy with the ability to ‘speak the language’ of its users, so to speak, and gain a grassroots understanding of the unique pain points that customers face in each market.
Notably, customers are always able to talk to a Mukuru agent about any challenges or difficulties with the platform, whether it be a Mukuru agent in a booth, in a branch, over the telephone or via a virtual live chat function (in a language of the customer’s choosing, and often in their mother tongue).
“There is a balance that has to be achieved as a Fintech provider that is both ‘high tech’ and ‘high touch’, particularly because Mukuru has been built on top of a home-grown African DNA that has always taken its cue from what customers are asking of us at any given moment,” said Jury. “In this way, by constantly gaining customer feedback and participation, we have been able to build a highly robust and resilient financial payments infrastructure across Southern Africa – with our physical presence now unlocking new value in the digital sphere and providing important, value-added services to our loyal customers.”
Testament to this impact, Mukuru has seen a 20-fold increase in monthly transactions within Zimbabwe over the past few months, for instance, as well as impressive year-on-year financial growth despite the global economic volatility.
This growth has been cemented by dynamic regional partnerships, and strengthening relationships with regulators, major banks and other remittance and money transfer providers.
“Our partnerships continue to be a source of both innovation and steady growth in the region, with our home-grown technology solutions continually evolving to meet the day-to-day needs of our customers,” added Jury. “We meet customers wherever they are, which today includes a variety of both physical and digital touchpoints.”
At the beginning of November, Jury noted that despite predictions that global remittances will decline because of the pandemic, formal remittance flows across borders have increased.
“Despite the World Bank’s predictions that global remittances will decline by around 20% in 2020 as a result of the global pandemic and its economic fallout, evidence in countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia suggest that formal remittance flows across African borders have actually increased – and are proving to be more resilient (and buoyant) than many other financial services,” said Jury.
“Notably, the GSMA affirmed that ‘remittances are expected to retain or even exceed their current levels of importance with FDI flows into LMICs expected to decline by as much as 35% over 2020.’ There are many reasons behind the fact that formal African remittances continue to flow, chief among them the undeniable reality that this money provides a lifeline to many thousands of families and communities. Indeed, remittances are channelled into daily groceries, seeds for subsistence crops, school fees, home repairs, medical supplies and much more,” he added.


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2021 turned out to be quite positive for foreign direct investment, despite the ongoing recovery from the pandemic, quarantines and difficulties in supply chains. The annual key report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), released on June 9, showed a positive trend in international commercial activity. It found that foreign direct investment rose to $1.6 trillion, 64 percent higher than in 2020, and growth in FDI was observed in all regions.
However, there are major doubts that this trend will continue in 2022. Among the main risk factors, UNCTAD notes the protracted health crisis, uncertainty about the pace of vaccinations, especially in developing countries, and continued bottlenecks in the labor market and supply chains. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, inflationary pressure has intensified. Continued restrictions and negative sentiment in the financial market may slow the recovery of the world’s economies this year.

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Credit Card Skimming Devices Found In City
Jamestown and Ellicott police are asking the public to be aware of credit card skimming devices being used in Jamestown and Ellicott.
A skimming device is an electronic device that is illegally connected to anything used to pay for an item with a credit or debit card, including gas pumps, ATM machines or other vending machines that take a card. The devices can sometimes be visible on the exterior of the gas pump or the ATM but are sometimes hidden within the unit.
Consumers should use caution when using their card on such devices to avoid becoming a victim of a thief who is trying to steal bank account information. Devices that appear to have been tampered with should not be used; anyone who does see a suspicious item on a machine should call local police. Consumers should also be vigilant and monitor their bank accounts to make sure unauthorized transactions aren’t being made.
Anyone who may have fallen victim to such activity should notify their bank and file a police report.


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You Searched For "air freight solutions"
Etihad Cargo inks MoU with Astral Aviation to expand African network
Etihad Cargo and Astral Aviation have signed an MoU to expand their existing partnership and enhance cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Nairobi
WeFreight launches in Kenya, establishes Africa operations
Plans in place to bring air and ocean freight services to more African regions


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Samsung hailed as the nation’s ‘Most Loved Electronics Brand’ second year in a row by Brand Finance in LMD’s Brands Annual 2020
Sri Lankan consumers have once again voted for Samsung Sri Lanka as the ‘Most Loved Electronics Brand’ in Sri Lanka for the second consecutive year in Brand Finance Lanka’s review of Sri Lanka’s most valuable brands featured in LMD’s Brands Annual 2020. Sustaining the coveted position as the No. 1 consumer electronics brand is a big achievement as it reflects the popularity of the brand, its appeal to the young generation, impeccable quality and excellent after sales service. Entrenching its credentials in the market even further, Samsung has already been hailed as Sri Lanka’s preferred smartphone brand. Samsung extends its heartfelt gratitude to the people of Sri Lanka for voting for it as their preferred brand. In recent months, Samsung has earned greater consumer loyalty by proactively introducing technology that has made remote working and learning much easier.The launch of every new model of Samsung’s Galaxy range of smartphones in Sri Lanka generates a fever pitch buzz amongst the industry and consumers. Samsung offers the entire range of smartphones from feature rich affordable models to premium Galaxy model such as the Galaxy Z Flip, Sri Lanka’s first foldable phone launched last month. Featuring a first-of-its-kind glass display that folds into a compact and stylish form factor, the company’s latest groundbreaking smartphone offers a whole new mobile experience. The Galaxy S series camera has been pushing the boundaries of mobile camera capabilities right from the start, bringing technological breakthroughs to everyone.Samsung Sri Lanka also launched the new Galaxy M series which has proven to be a customer delight with each and every phone in the portfolio becoming a bestseller.
Samsung is seen as the safest and most enduring high technology electronics brand in Sri Lanka. Its revolutionary 8K TV offers an eye-opening experience and this amazing technology makes it the global number one TV for 14 consecutive years. With its 2020 QLED 8K TVs and AI sound technologies, Samsung has raised the bar for TV audio experiences. Also, Samsung has been the global No.1 selling refrigerator brand for 12 years due to its unique designs and energy saving capabilities.
In Sri Lanka, reliable after sales service is important for consumers and this is where Samsung Sri Lanka scores highly – leading in the after sales service, with 29 service centres island-wide including 14 centres for mobile repairs and 15 centres for consumer electronics. Prioritizing customer convenience, Samsung offers mobile service van at customers’ doorstep to repair consumer electronics products. This service is available in Colombo and its suburbs. Infusing further convenience, customers can avail of its call centre service, operating from Monday to Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Samsung has also commenced ‘1 hour mobile phone repair’ service in Colombo precincts.
LMD’s Most Loved Brands 2020 ranking is based on a survey which determines the strength of a brand based on the attributes of quality, reliability, distinctiveness, reputation and trustworthiness. Samsung will continue to unveil innovative new product offerings and value added services in 2020 to cater to the needs of local consumers. Through Samsung Members we are open to listen to customer voice and ideas.


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While top fast-fashion brands H&M and Uniqlo are yet to enter the country, Zara's presence is limited to top cities.
As Amazon chief Jeff Bezos had said, the big success of fashion etailing is the biggest learning he's taken away from India.
Kerala government has slapped a fine of Rs 53.63 crore on four online trading companies including Flipkart and Jabong for allegedly doing illegal business.
User interface developers, e-commerce merchandising specialists, interaction designers and digital marketers to be in demand in the e-commerce industry in the coming years.
God lies in the details. Add a stylish pocket square to round up your formal wear this season.
From smart chic to quirky colours and print, here's our pick of bow ties for every occasion.
This time he doesn't have to fear bulldozers because his new ready-to-wear, or RTW, line is being launched online. And the label will be affordable, he said.


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Nintendo's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the top-selling game in April 2017 in the US despite only being on sale for two days of the month, according to the NPD Group.
Including digital sales, it sold a total of 550,000 units in these two days, out-stripping its rivals for the entire month. It achieved a similar feat in the UK, though specific sales figures for the region were not available.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had sold 459,000 units on launch day in the US, meaning it generated 91,000 sales on its second day. The impressive numbers make it the fastest-selling entry in the Mario Kart franchise ever in the US.
The Nintendo Switch itself performed well in April too, selling 280,000 units in the US alone. Combined with sales of its 3DS family of consoles, Nintendo made up almost half of all hardware sales in the US for April 2017.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild continued to perform well too. While no exact sales figures were provided, it was found to be the third-best selling game in the US in April.
All this points to sales of the Switch and its games not slowing down any time soon. It had already sold 2.74 million units in its launch month alone.


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By Deborah Belgum | December 6, 2018
Pantone does its research for the Color of the Year.
About six years ago, Cult Gaia was a go-to label for the festival girl. Things have changed a bit.
Supermodel Maggie Rizer appeared as one of the ‘Perfect Icons’ of modeling on the Sept. 2014 issue of Vogue Japan. Recently, she opened the boutique M by Maggie Rizer.
The RealReal and Stella McCartney have decided to celebrate their year-long partnership by extending the collaboration to promote a circular economy.
Old Navy will pay for you to come to the store to pick up your online order.
Frank and Angela Rodriguez design high-end, made-to-measure clothes with a streetwear edge for their atelier Victorious 22. On Dec. 6, the Rodriguezes focused on philanthropy.
With red-board buildings designed to evoke rural marketplaces of USA and England in the past, Brentwood Country Mart recently marked its 70th anniversary.
Housed at the LA Athletic Club on the corner of 7th and Olive Streets, the DTLA // IRL pop-up event brought together artists, fashion designers, food vendors and members of the community during the holiday season.
Madewell's mobile pop-up holiday store will be making the rounds in Los Angeles.
The public loves watching Selena Gomez’s performances. Paparazzi love documenting her private life. Fashion people will soon find out if there is love for her clothing line Selena Gomez X Puma.
Los Angeles’ Pinup Girl Clothing brand makes a point of designing clothes for fearless women. Now, the brand made a movie about it.
With its new book collaboration "California as We See It," luxury-eyewear brand Oliver Peoples collaborated with finely crafted-book publisher Assouline for an intimate, insider view of the Golden State.
Many Americans took second and third helpings of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. For those who want get back in shape stylishly, a group of independent activewear brands and wellness groups set up a pop-up shop in Santa Monica.
Rachel Zoe confessed the sparkly, glitzy look is a favorite.
Los Angeles' Maverick Surf Is Dead Brand made a special hoodie for the capsule collection curated by the Gap brand and GQ magazine.


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The CommBank Accounting Market Pulse attempted to gauge the general consensus of the profession regarding their economic outlook, and the future of the industry as a whole, identifying the greatest challenge as “significant difficulty in passing on cost increases to clients and charging for compliance work”.
According to the research and the majority of respondents across large, mid-tier and restructuring firms, business advisory and management consulting services are undoubtedly the key service lines to enter and grow over the next 12 to 18 months.
Marc Totaro, national manager of professional services for CBA, noted that 2015 has been a “year of heightened awareness” regarding the future of compliance.
“Firms are really taking notice now and having to really look at their business models and ask ‘Can we keep doing what we’re doing? Where will the revenue and margin uplifts come from?’”
According to Mr Totaro, a boost to revenue and profit margin is “not going to be from traditional accounting compliance work”.
“A lot of firms are looking at the lower-level compliance or commodity type work as just something they need to offer their clients, with a view that hopefully you’ll be able to deliver more services to that client,” he added.
Figures provided as part of the Market Pulse indicated the past financial year has shown a dramatic increase in revenue from non-accounting services, particularly amongst restructuring firms as they re-evaluate their business models and service offerings, with a third of those firms stating that more than 10 per cent of revenue can be attributed to non-accounting services.
The presence of the business advisory model is set to thrive according to respondents, with 100 per cent of large firms and 100 per cent of mid-tier firms in agreement that revenue from non-accounting services will continue not only in the short term, but for the foreseeable future.
“I think firms really need to decide where they want to play, smaller firms probably don’t have the breadth to be able to compete in all advisory services,” said Mr Totaro.
“I think a lot of firms will decide they need to specialise in either advisory or wealth management and really become a specialist in that area rather than trying to cover all bases,” he concluded.


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The Nikola Motor Company, a Utah-based startup, has introduced a compressed natural gas-electric hybrid semi-truck, according to a Fox News report.
The truck, called the Nikola One, has been developed in secret for the past three years and features a 150-gallon dHybrid storage system stacked behind its cab that fuels a turbine generator, which charges a 320-kilowatt-hour battery pack that drives six motors.
It’s not a conversion vehicle. The truck’s chassis was engineered specifically for the project and features a unique independent rear suspension system designed in conjunction with automotive component supplier Meritor.
The plan is for Nikola to build a nationwide network of refueling stations to support its customers, similar to Tesla’s electric supercharger network. Nikola owns its own CNG wells and will sell the fuel for the equivalent of $1.50 per gallon, but the first 5,000 buyers of the $375,000 truck will get 1 million miles’ worth for free.
The full story is available here.


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It has been almost two years since I last wrote about TiVO when I said that it should get out of the retail hardware business model. Its focus has now shifted to selling set-top software to multichannel operators.
Founded in 1997, TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) and was the pioneer of the digital video recorder (DVR) which became popular for the simple reason that they are easy to use. DVR penetration is currently around 20% and is expected to grow to 35% by 2009. Capitalizing on this trend, CBS, NBC, and Omnicom Media Group have formed unique advertising deals with TiVo. TiVo is surely making good use of its ability to report what people are watching.
It is also investing in defending its patented technologies. In January, it won $94 million in a patent dispute with EchoStar or Dish Network. This victory puts TiVo in a strong position in its negotiations with other cable and satellite TV operators and its share of the digital video recorder market is expected to grow from roughly 40% to 65% by the end of 2010.
TiVo already has deals with Comcast and Cox to provide set-top boxes with DVR technology.
With its focus shifting away from selling DVR hardware, its advertising and marketing expenses have come down substantially driving its losses down. In its earnings release for Q4 and fiscal year 2008 last week, it reported Q4 net loss of $6.4 million compared to a much larger $19.5 million in Q4 last year. Losses also reduced because of better than expected sales of its older models. Full year net loss was $31.5 million, down 34% compared to $47.8 million last year.
Q4 service and technology revenues were $58.1 million, compared with $57.0 million in Q4 last year. Full year service and technology revenues were $230.9 million, compared with $217.3 million last year.
For the first quarter of fiscal 2009, TiVo expects service and technology revenues in the range of $53 – $55 million and net loss in the range of $1.0 to $3.0 million. It is currently trading around $8.5 and its market cap is around $850 million. It hit a 52-week high of $9.43 on February 28.


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There are rumours from various sources that iPhone may launch the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8plus in Red colour. In the partnership with RED, a group which fight against the HIV/AIDS in Africa. MacRumors found a memo of Virgin mobile, which states that Apple is going to launch iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus on 9th April in new red colour. Last year in March, Apple launched the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus (Product) RED edition in support of the organisation. According to the reports, the new edition will be available for preorder. It’s not clear in the reports that the new iPhone X is also a part of this new edition, but speculation is the company could launch the RED edition of all the three models to support the organisation. The Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, one of the trusted source has also confirmed the arrival of (PRODUCT) RED iPhone family but didn’t provide any extra information related to the price and availability.
(PRODUCT)RED is an organisation which collaborates with the private sector to raise the funds for fighting against the HIV/AIDS in eight African countries i.e. Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia. Till now, Apple has launched the various product under the (PRODUCT)RED, iPod and iPad models and latest iPhone 7 has become the part of this program. Apple raised over $160 million (approx. 1,038 crores) by this unique program to support the (PRODUCT)RED and contribute a big part of the sale in the donation to power up the fight against HIV/AIDS in eight African countries.


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Celltrion Healthcare makes a big splash
The upbeat performance is tied with the expectations for Celltrion, the largest Kosdaq-listed company that sells biosimilar drugs such as Remsima and Truxima.
The health care unit closed the day up 15.23 percent at 50,300 won ($44.90).
Shares of Celltrion Healthcare opened at 43,650 won after the company priced its initial batch of shares at 41,000 won. It sold 13.9 million shares, commanding an initial market capitalization of 6.875 trillion won.
Founded in 1999, Celltrion Healthcare is the exclusive sales body for the drug maker as it leads local and global marketing of the producer’s biosimilars to over 100 regions.
Analysts expect that the proceeds of the initial public offering will go towards expanding the production lineup and marketing partners in different countries as well as jointly developing new biosimilars with Celltrion.
“Celltrion Healthcare will attempt to develop new drugs and seek more partners to have licensing agreements through the funds raised,” said Seo Keun-hee, researcher at KB Securities.
The newly-listed company enjoyed buoyancy on the initial day and some analysts see that the upward momentum will continue thanks to the planned releases of other biosimilar products by Celltrion.
“Celltrion has made inroads into Europe and maintained a strong footing there,” said Jin Heung-kook, analyst at Korea Investment & Securities.
“It launched Remsima in the United States back in January and Truxima in April for the European market. In 2018, Truxima will be released in the U.S. along with Herzuma in the Europe,” he said.
For 2019, Celltrion planned on bringing Herzuma, an anticancer antibody biosimilar, to the U.S.
If all goes as planned, Celltrion Healthcare can directly benefit from the sales performance of its pharmaceutical affiliate.
Investors’ positive sentiment for the new stock is also linked with the latest financial results from Celltrion, which pulled off an earnings surprise in the second quarter.
Celltrion’s operating profit jumped 79.4 percent to 138.3 billion won between April and June compared to the same period last year, backed by strong sales of its Remsima in overseas markets.
KB Securities projects that the marketing affiliate will generate a yearly operating profit of 239.7 billion won, which increases 34.2 percent from the previous year.
But Seo of KB Securities warned that any stalemate in regulatory approval will act as a critical risk for both Celltrion and Celltrion Healthcare.
The stiff competition between Celltrion other biosimilar companies could block growth, she added.
BY PARK EUN-JEE [email@example.com]


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Integrated maritime solutions firm PortDesk has suspended operations, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told TechCircle.
It was not immediately clear whether a fund crunch or other reasons had prompted the Noida-headquartered company to take this step, or whether it had shut down altogether.
The company’s website was offline at the time of publishing this report. Its most recent filings with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs date back to July 2017 and the company has not filed any financial statements since inception.
PortDesk halted its services sometime in the last couple of months, the above-mentioned person said on the condition of anonymity.
The development comes a year after the firm raised $2 million (Rs 12 crore at the time) in seed investment from Alphard Maritime Group, a Singapore-based maritime services company.
Separate email queries sent to PortDesk founder Pushpit Pallav and Alphard Maritime Group seeking further details did not immediately elicit a response.
Operated by PortDesk Services Pvt. Ltd, PortDesk was launched in December 2016 by Pallav, who had experience in the shipping industry. He had previously worked with shipping giants such as A.P. Moller – Maersk, Cargill, Scorpio Group, and Norvic Shipping.
The company offered merchant vessels a single platform to manage all port-related costs through a proprietary cost management system.
In addition, PortDesk offered its customers an array of services including agent appointments, and chartering services.
Port Desk also served as an e-procurement platform for the marine and shipping industry and provided port disbursement, bunker, vendor, lay time and other voyage services.
Besides, it also offered a host of IT-enabled software services which helped ship-owners, managers, operators, charters to reduce operating expenditure in categories such as marine supply, port agencies, and services and towage providers.
Apart from Noida, the company also had offices in Singapore and Dubai.
There have been a few instances in the recent past of funded startups either suspending operations or shutting shop altogether.
In the broader logistics sector, Delhi-based hyperlocal logistics startup Turant Delivery had ceased operations in May 2017, less than two years after its launch. A deepening fund crunch and failure to raise capital had rendered the business unviable.
Last month, TechCircle had reported that Bumper, a mobile marketplace and booking platform for car servicing backed by SAIF Partners, had shut down its operations following its inability to raise follow-on funding.
Also last month, TechCircle reported that business-to-business e-commerce platform Shotang had scaled down its operations. It let go of most of its employees while its co-founder left to join another startup.


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Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc. said Tuesday that it will likely post stronger-than-expected revenue growth in its first quarter and outlined plans to offer stock on behalf of shareholders.
The Dallas-based arcade and restaurant chain, founded in 1982 by friends David "Dave" Corriveau and James "Buster" Corley, went public last October after buyout talks broke down.
The company said it expects its revenue for the latest quarter to come in at $221.7 million to $222.7 million, based on preliminary results. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had recently forecast $216.3 million in revenue.
Sales at stores open at least 18 months are expected to be up 9.8% to 9.9% for the period that ended May 3.
The company also said Tuesday that it would offer 8.5 million shares on behalf of certain stockholders.
In April, Dave & Buster's reported stronger-than-expected profit growth for its fourth quarter as sales increased in both of its segments. The company also issued guidance for the year that topped expectations.
Shares are up 22.5% this year.
Write to Chelsey Dulaney at Chelsey.Dulaney@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires


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NielsenIQ Hong Kong has renewed a regional retail cooperation deal with Dairy Farm.
The two-year retail cooperation agreement will see NielsenIQ Hong Kong continually provide Dairy Farm with insights and analyses about its grocery retail business and changing retail landscape of the supermarket, hypermarket, convenience, and emerging channels across six Asian markets, including China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam.
"As the world slowly recovers from the pandemic, it becomes even more critical for retailers to understand how shoppers’ behaviours have changed,” said Yoann Painbeni, retail vertical leader of NielsenIQ Asia.
“Having access to NielsenIQ’s robust data assets will allow Dairy Farm to better understand sales, demographic trends, and consumer preferences. In turn, Dairy Farm will be able to develop, market, distribute, and scale their stores for the Asian marketplace," Painbeni added.
Kosta Conomos, group customer insights and loyalty director of Dairy Farm, also commented, "We are very pleased to continue our work with NielsenIQ, which provides professional services, data analysis, and market context to enhance our overall perspective. NielsenIQ’s capabilities assist us in enhancing our customer offering that our customers truly love across Asia.”


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Amazon Finally Chooses Its Newest Headquarters
Amazon is a growing company. And as it grows, it'll need to expand its headquarters. When Amazon announced that it was in the market for a new headquarters location, you better believe a lot of states were fighting to be Amazon's choice.
For most states, this was a chance to bring more job opportunities to one of their cities. And not only that but also revamp their cities. An Amazon headquarters was the solution to a lot of problems within cities around the U.S. And these cities wanted to attract Amazon with everything they had to offer...
New York and Virginia Will Be Amazon's Newest Homes
On Tuesday, November 13th, Amazon announced the location of its second headquarters. Well... I should say "locations." The company decided to split the headquarter locations up between New York and Virginia. The specific locations of the headquarters will be in the Long Island City neighborhood in Queens, New York, and in Arlington, Virginia.
Amazon will be investing a total of $5 billion in each location. Each location is expected to create more than 25,000 jobs. The Arlington location is going to be in the neighborhood known as Crystal City near the Reagan National Airport. This location will be prime for Amazon because it'll be able to offer quicker delivery to the Washington, D.C., area, as well.
Splitting up the headquarters was an interesting move. The company said:
We can recruit more top talent by being in two locations. These are fantastic cities that attract a lot of great talent.
Amazon attracted 238 bids from across the U.S. and Canada in search of a new headquarters location. Now, with the decision to split up the headquarters, it's all a little anticlimactic.
Amazon Proves Its Worth
What this showed us is that Amazon wanted everyone to see that the company is sought after. The company wanted everyone to see that in a lot of cities' eyes, Amazon was a solution to many of their problems. Choosing these two locations was somewhat obvious. I'd been hoping for an underdog to win the bid.
Amazon said it expects to receive incentives of almost $1.53 billion in New York and almost $600 million in Arlington. Not to mention, the company expects an estimated $10 billion in extra tax revenue over the next 20 years in New York and $3.2 billion in Arlington.
So, yes, it was a smart decision on Amazon's part. The company already has a huge footprint in these two areas. And the decision to grow that footprint even larger was an obvious but smart decision, especially to keep growing the company.
Amazon's growing footprint will affect the areas. Both metro areas have some of the highest housing costs in the country and some of the most congested traffic. And that has locals already concerned about how Amazon's new locations will affect them.
This has been a strong year for Amazon. The company has hit a few milestones. This includes hitting its $1 trillion valuation in September, CEO Jeff Bezos becoming the world's wealthiest man in recent history, and publicly committing to paying a minimum wage of $15 to its employees.
Amazon is growing at a fast rate. And having these two new locations will only help in expanding the company throughout the nation.
Until next time,
Pro Trader Today


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On the morning of October 16th, 2021 World Food Day and the National Food Security Promotion Zhou Lantian event was held in Wuhan University of Light Industry. Provincial Committee deputy secretary, governor Wang Zhonglin, the United Nations FAO, China and North Korea representative Wen Kang agricultural resonates; the Party Committee of the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Food and Material Reserve Party Secretary, and Director Zhang Wafeng. Wang Zhonglin said that the guests attending the event will express their warm welcome to everyone for their long-term concern for Hubei’s development. He said that food production is related to national security, boosting the revitalization of rural villages, enhances people’s livelihood and welfare, and is a crimping stone that stabilizes the people’s livelihood.
Hubei Toyomaino, Maofu Food, farming has a long history, excellent resource endowment, food production continues to stabilize, is a large grain, and the net transfer of food is the national granary. We will always remember the Yin Yin, the General Secretary of China, "Contributing to the National Food Security", and resolutely prays the responsibility of the main product area of ??the food, continues to kindrain, food, accommodate food, and seduce grain, continuous improvement Grain comprehensive production capacity, high quality and efficient completion of food reserves, build food planting, processing, circulation all-production industry chain, in-depth development of grain grain action, keep responsibility field, tie the food bag, let the Chinese rice bowl Quality Hubei Food. In the speech, the grain security is "the big people" and eternal topics.
It is necessary to resolutely implement the important discussion of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the protection of national food security, adhere to the "food head" and "farmer’s work tail", and promote high-quality food engineering, promote the industry chain, value chain, supply chain "three chains association" Promote excellent grain excellent property, purchase, preferential, excellent, and pay "five excellent linkage"; strengthen the "production price store sales" collaborative guarantee, implement "Tibetan grain in the land, hidden grains in the technology" strategy, constantly Improve food storage regulation and control; vigorously carry out food saving activities, strengthen the loss of full chain food; promote the promotion of food security protection, and deepen the "Regulations on Grain Circulation Management", resolutely hold the "Tianxia granary"; actively carry out food security Cooperation, all parties work together to ensure greater strength to protect national food security contributions. On October 16 this year, the 41st World Food Day, the theme of the event is "the future. Better production, better nutrition, better environment, better life."
"This week is the national food security propaganda week, the theme is" Developing Food Industry, Helping Country Revitalization ", which will carry out a variety of food security promotion activities. This event is made by the National Grain and Material Reserve, Agricultural Rural Department, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education , The Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Women’s Federation, the Hubei Provincial People’s Government and the United Nations FAO jointly hosted. Event site, Wang Zhonglin, Zhang Dang Feng, Wen Kang, Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Governor, Deputy Governor, Deputy Director of the National Food and Materials Reserve, Huang Wei, Jia骞, the United Nations World Food Program restricted the relevant responsible comrades of the National Ministry of Food Program, the relevant responsible comrades of the National Ministry of Party jointly released the food security theme initiative; the State Food and Materials Reserve released the list of "leaders" in the 2021 grain and oil products, and to the national level Grain emergency support enterprises and national food security publicity and education base representatives.
Before the event, Wang Zhonglin, Zhang Waffe, Li Le Cheng, etc. visited the 70th anniversary of the school of Wuhan University of Light Industry. (Yang Nianming) (Editor: Zhou Wei, Zhang Wei) Sharing let more people see client downloads.


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global technology company AppNexus has done some digging and found that professionals in the Asia-Pacific region are all for programmatics in the mobile and video departments.
The majority of programmatic adopters within the APAC region use programmatic for mobile and video – giving it a much higher use ratio than the global market.
Nine out of ten professionals in APAC (90 per cent) use it for mobile advertising and eight out of ten (79 per cent) use it for video. This is compared to 71 per cent and 56 per cent respectively, globally.
Over three-quarters (77 per cent) of advertising professionals in the APAC region now use programmatic advertising. This high adoption rate indicates that advertisers, publishers, and everyone in between see programmatic as a vital part of the future of digital advertising due to its ability to deliver more efficient and more effective advertising campaigns.
Indeed, for digital advertisers using programmatic, ‘targeting’ is cited as the biggest reason for adoption across APAC. Respondents believe it is far more important ‘who sees’ an advert rather than ‘how many’, with nearly two thirds of those asked (64 per cent) giving ‘targeting’ as the main reason to use programmatic.
High viewability, therefore, is seen as less of a priority in APAC, with only half (51 per cent) in the region saying it is important.
However, many in the industry still grapple with the concept of programmatic. Across Asia Pacific, more than one-third (36 per cent) of advertising professionals admit they know very little or nothing about how programmatic works.
Interestingly, the lack of knowledge about programmatic runs concurrent with the relatively high usage of it (77 per cent), suggesting there is a ‘do first and understand later’ attitude.
One of the biggest concerns, cited by four in ten (40 per cent) respondents, is the lack of transparency on where ads end up displayed, and almost half (48 per cent) of local professionals fear their advertisements will appear on undesirable sites.
Additionally, only one in four advertiser respondents (25 per cent) in APAC identify as totally confident in knowing how effective his or her digital campaigns perform. These concerns around trust indicate a need for education and transparency in order for programmatic to reach its full potential.
These are some of the key findings of Reaching Full Potential, an investigation of the programmatic practices and attitudes of 202 advertising professionals from the Asia Pacific region. Participants included advertisers, media buying agencies, advertising agencies, agency networks, publishers and advertising technology companies.
Part of a global research project, the study was commissioned by AppNexus, the world’s leading independent ad tech company, in association with WARC, IAB Australia and IAB Singapore, and was conducted by Circle Research.
The research reveals almost all (93 per cent) of media buying agencies are using programmatic across APAC. The majority (92 per cent) of advertising professionals expect programmatic will be the dominant or an important force in digital advertising in the years to come, and two-thirds (65 per cent) of the ecosystem recognise that knowledge of programmatic will be one of the most important capabilities that agencies will need to possess in five years’ time. This compares to just over half (57 per cent) of professionals who believe that high levels of creativity will be important, indicating a significant shift in areas of focus and expertise for the industry. Even today, more than half of survey respondents (59 per cent) believe a strong knowledge of programmatic is a necessary skill for agencies.
AppNexus VP sales APAC Dave Osborn said, “It’s clear to me that the vast majority of digital advertising will be transacted programmatically in the next few years, so it’s critical that we ensure the most important stakeholders are brought along the journey.
“Yes, we have to address the valid concerns people are expressing regarding control and transparency. But that needs to be part of a much broader education for advertisers and agencies that helps them understand when, where and how this evolution towards programmatic execution can benefit them…and equally where they’re exposed to new risk.”
Warc Asia Pacific MD Edward Pank added, “It’s very encouraging to see that adoption of programmatic in this region is on the rise and effective targeting, is one of the key reasons behind this growth. Yet clearly more needs to be done to help build confidence, know-how and best practice across the industry to help programmatic reach its full potential in the years to come.”


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Last year Tiffany attempted to entrench its status as bridal design leader with the launch of the new Lucida ring. Now two other international retailers are following suit, courting brides with modern designs and stylish brand names. Asprey & Garrard recently launched its Eternal Cut solitaire diamond engagement rings, and now Cartier is updating its bridal jewelry offerings.
Cartier recently announced two new engagement rings that-like those by Tiffany and Asprey-aim to maximize the diamond’s appearance by using classic designs with modern twists. Its first new creation, called simply a classic ring, has a band that narrows as it nears the diamond, which is held in place with four prongs-not unlike Tiffany’s Lucida ring. Cartier also is offering a contemporary design that affords a view of the diamond’s profile.
Asprey & Garrard, meanwhile, is focusing on its Eternal Cut diamond bridal jewelry. The diamond, with 81 facets, was introduced last year in solitaire rings. This year the collection grew to encompass eternity bands as well as three-stone and seven-stone rings. The company soon will follow up with an oval Eternal Cut and emerald Eternal Cut line.


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Kanye West has been killing it this year with Yeezy and he seems to have huge projects for the brand in 2020. But, before we talk about the year to come, let’s take a complete look at the Yeezy 700 v3 Azael which is set to release before Christmas.
Yeezy 700 v3 Azael
The Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 V3 is one of the shoes that has recently been under the radar. It is set to come in an inaugural “Azael” colorway at the end of 2019.
Ahead of the drop, we now have a closer look at the sneaker with some on-foot pictures, thanks to @hanzuying!
In opposite to the two previous generations of Yeezy 700s which featured retro constructions, the “V3 Azael” has more of a futuristic design, disrupting everything we’ve seen before.
The sneaker features a clean white and grey Primeknit base. A glow-in-the-dark cage wraps around the entire upper for support and stability. This element has similarities with the upcoming Yeezy Basketball Quantum.
Unlike the aggressive styling of the V1 and the V2, sleek swooping lines run around the V3 silhouette. A plush foam sockliner provides the perfect amount of comfort. The sneaker also features a tongue that’s designed just like the one on the Yeezy 500 High “Slate”.
With that said, this new iteration of the 700 doesn’t use Adidas‘ famed BOOST midsole technology. In fact, Adidas has removed the Boost unit in favor of another mysterious cushioning technology.
Finally, to round it all off, a light blue rubber outsole injects a subtle yet striking pop of color into the design.
Take a closer look at the Yeezy 700 v3 Azael in the gallery just below!
Release Date & Price
Priced at $200 USD, the Adidas YEEZY 700 V3 “Azael” is set to release on YEEZY Supply and at select retailers just in time for Christmas, on December 23.
You might want to take a look at ILYSM, an affordable brand created by a former Yeezy designer.


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US-based Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), a company that 12 regulated exchanges and marketplaces, has been in the works of opening up a cryptocurrency exchange that should usher in institutional investment. After months of waiting, it seems that their Bakkt crypto platform will begin trading Bitcoin futures contracts on December 12, 2018.
Bakkt is currently in discussion with Tier 1 investment banks to utilize their exchange architecture. This is no surprise given the support and backing it has already seen from major financial firms such as Galaxy Digital, Horizons Ventures, and Pantera Capital, plus a slew more, that want to see this project get off the ground. The crypto firm has also partnered with coffee giant, Starbucks, to process payments through Bitcoin on the company’s mobile app, which is largest mobile app payment system in the United States, touting 23.4 million users.
The goal of the new crypto exchanges launch is to provide a seamless trading environment for consumers and institutions in a cryptocurrency ecosystem. Users can trade, store, and spend cryptocurrency on the platform securely and efficiently, as the company aim to utilize the current infrastructure by connecting it to a blockchain.
Bakkt’s parent company ICE, is in the process of receiving approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Once approved ICE plans to launch a 1-day physically delivered Bitcoin contract along with physical storage on December 12, 2018 through their futures exchange and clearinghouse. Also in the works are new guidelines covering cryptocurrency protocols and settlement requirements, as well as a guarantee fund provided separately by Bakkt.
Jeffrey C. Sprecher, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, spoke about the Bakkt organization:
“In bringing regulated, connected infrastructure together with institutional and consumer applications for digital assets, we aim to build confidence in the asset class on a global scale, consistent with our track record of bringing transparency and trust to previously unregulated markets.”


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Air Products & Chemicals Inc. reported Wednesday a 74% drop in first-quarter net income, in the face of one of the poorest economic backdrops encountered by the seller of gases and performance materials.
Lehigh Valley, Pa.-based Air Products
Stripping out a 55-cent charge for cost-reduction measures and a 10-cent loss from discontinued operations, earnings per share would have been 97 cents in the latest quarter.
Analysts had been expecting average earnings of $1.00 a share, according to estimates compiled by FactSet Research.
Quarterly sales declined to nearly $2.2 billion from the prior year's $2.41 billion.
"While the global economic environment is poor, we continue to build and maintain our strong positions," said John McGlade, chairman, president and chief executive, in a statement.
The company expects second-quarter earnings from continuing operations between 80 cents and 90 cents a share, as opposed to the consensus of $1.10 a share in a FactSet analyst survey.
Full-year earnings are seen at $4.00 to $4.30 a share, below the latest estimate of $4.55 a share.
"Over the quarter, we saw further deterioration in business conditions, resulting in one of the weakest economic environments we've ever seen," the company said. "It was evident that the shocks to the global economy have shattered consumer confidence, which has significantly impacted customers' operating rates across most of our end markets."
The company said it will continue to take "aggressive actions" to reduce costs.
Shares of Air Products rose 2.8% to $54.10 on Wednesday.


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Backed by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala and ADQ, its focus will be on payments infrastructure, alternative credit, digital banking and other subsectors.
VentureSouq, the UAE-based investment firm focused on early stage technology businesses, unveiled a $50 million venture fund that will target the FinTech sector.
The company’s Mena FinTech Fund I will support FinTech and software-as-a-service companies. The fund is backed by major regional investment houses, including Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company, DisruptAD, the venture capital platform of Abu Dhabi’s holding company ADQ, Saudi Arabia’s Jada Fund of Funds and Saudi Venture Capital Company, Bahrain’s Al Waha Fund of Funds and OFC, the Middle East investment arm of The Olayan Group.
It will focus on key subsectors such as payments infrastructure, alternative credit, digital banking, property technology, insurance technology and personal financial management, and will work closely with regional entrepreneurs who are at the forefront of leading financial disruption.
The evolution of the Mena’s FinTech ecosystem is still in its “very early days” but the sector’s foundational layers of are beginning to face disruption, Suneel Gokhale, a general partner at VentureSouq, said.
“Our view is that now is a great time to be investing in what we think will be the next batch of FinTech unicorns [start-ups with a valuation of $1 billion or more],” Mr Gokhale told The National on Sunday.
“We think it was a matter of time; you have FinTechs challenging incumbents across the globe through better user experiences and less friction, and in the end better products that hack distribution more times than not will win.
“Consumers and businesses here in Mena want to benefit from that as well and now we are at a point in time where talent, access to capital and government/regulatory support is very strong, resulting in the rapid emergence of FinTech challengers, which is especially true here in the UAE, which is now universally regarded as a great place to build a business and a life.”
The region’s FinTech sector continues to gain traction as more consumers turn to digital payments services, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, presenting an opportunity for companies, particularly start-ups, to provide new and additional services to cater to the growing demand.
In the Middle East, one out of every four investment deals in 2021 was in FinTech, which accounted for roughly a third of all the funding raised – $2.1 billion in 220 deals – according to a report by consultancy firm RedSeer.
Online sales − a key vertical for FinTech – in the Mena region are expected to triple to $28.5bn by 2022 from $8.3bn in 2017, recent research from Bain & Company showed.
VentureSouq’s fund has been deploying capital into start-ups across Mena and Pakistan. Its investments include UAE FinTech platforms Baraka, FlexxPay, NymCard and Verity, Pakistan’s Creditbook, PostEx and Abhi Finance.
The fund also invested in Egypt’s transport platform Trella, gig economy financial platform Dayra and Algeria-based ride-hailing app Yassir, along with other companies that will be announced in the coming months.
As the first vertical venture fund in Mena, it was critical to assemble the right LP [limited partner] base. We needed partners that would both understand where the region currently sits on the evolutionary curve, but also that could help our portfolio companies navigate the challenging regulatory and funding terrain in Mena,” Maan Eshgi, a general partner at VentureSouq, said.
“For us to get the outcomes we need, our portfolio companies need to access not just a single market, but the entire Mena region. We believe we have the right stakeholders to help make access to that broader market a reality.”
Founded in 2016, VentureSouq has operations in the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and has invested in more than 200 companies worldwide.


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Mastercard offers $10,000 grants to Ukrainian startups.
Mastercard has started accepting applications for the Start Path Ukraine initiative, designed explicitly for Ukrainian fintech companies and entrepreneurs to support their growth and contribute to rebuilding the country’s economy. It will initially support five Ukrainian startups over a six-month period, during which time participants will receive access to resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities with leading experts. On top of this, the five startups joining the program will receive grants of $10,000 each. To apply for the Start Path Ukraine program, follow this link. The application deadline is October 20th. The five participants selected for the program will be announced later this year.


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By Tom Hoffman
Corporate leaders are beginning to recognize that the lines have blurred between the brand and the customer experience. This revelation is prompting a growing number of companies to establish a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) role and bring a more unified approach to customer centricity. According to The 2014 CCO Study conducted by the Chief Customer Officer Council, 22 percent of Fortune 100 companies have adopted the role. While that's an impressive milestone, it's clear that the industry is still early days in establishing a CCO position. Indeed, just 10 percent of the Fortune 500 and 6.7 percent of the Fortune 1000 have embraced the role, according to the CCO study.I spoke last week to Paul Hagen, former principal of the customer experience group at Forrester Research who is now the senior principal and head of customer experience & innovation strategy at West Monroe Partners for his take as to why so many companies have been slow to adopt the role and other trends he's seeing in this area.
I'm not an advocate for adding new titles simply because they sound customer-friendly. Meanwhile, many companies are still struggling to figure out whether the CMO or someone else should be responsible for the customer experience. But for many of those companies that have made this demarcation and have created distinct responsibilities for the CCO, there are strong benefits that can be extended both to customers and to the company.
To read this article as it originally appeared on 1to1 Media, please click here.


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Revenues declined by 5% to Rs 3,554 crore due to price erosion in the US market, lower sales from its North American business and no new major launches.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories has reported a three-fold increase in its consolidated net profit at Rs 312 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2017 compared to `74 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. However, revenues declined by 5% to Rs 3,554 crore against Rs 3,756 crore due to price erosion in the US market, lower sales from its North American business and no new major launches. For the full year ended March, 2017, the net profit fell by 40% to `1,203 crore from `2,001 crore. The overall revenues were down by 9% at `14,080.9 crore as compared to Rs 15,470.8 crore in the previous year.
“FY17 has been a challenging year due to lack of new product approvals for the US market. However, our other geographies delivered good performances with several new product launches,’’ G V Prasad, co-chairman and CEO of Dr Reddy’s, said. “We are also expanding global access to our biosimilars as a result of successful registrations in the emerging markets. We will continue our focus on rationalisation of cost structures and building a sustainable quality culture across the organisation,” he added.
Responding to a query on the recent warning letters from the USFDA, Prasad accepted that there is an increasing scrutiny by the USFDA and expectations are going up every year. “We are working seriously to resolve and address the recent USFDA observations,” he said. The focus continues to build sustainable revenue stream through a mix of simple and complex generics, biosimilars and differentiated products pipeline.
“We hope to get more approvals during the second half of this fiscal and will launch about 10 products,” Saumen Chakraborty, CFO, said. During this year, the company will be expanding to newer markets such as Latin America, China, France, Spain and Italy. “We are renewing our focus in China by filing several oncology products and hope to get substantial revenues in the next three to five years,” he said.
Sales from global generics declined by 10% y-o-y to Rs 11,541 crore from Rs 12,806 crore primarily on account of lower contribution from North America and emerging markets. Revenues from pharmaceutical services and active ingredients (PSAI) declined by 5% to Rs 2,128 crore from Rs 2,238 crore. Revenues from North America declined by 16% to Rs 6,360 crore from Rs 7,545 crore due to increased competition for its key products valganciclovir, decitabine, azacitidine, etc. coupled with discontinuation of the McNeil business. The company filed 26 ANDAs as of March 31, 101 generic filings are pending approval with the USFDA. Its European sales declined slightly by 2% to Rs 761 crore from Rs 773 crore.
You may also like to watch this video
Revenues from the emerging markets showed a decline of 11% to Rs 2,107 crore from Rs 2,359 crore in the previous year. However, sales in the domestic market improved by 9% to Rs 2,313 crore from Rs 2,129 crore. The company has set aside a capex of `1,169 crore for this year and has a free cash flow of Rs 792 crore.


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Usps Coronavirus Update: The US postal service has a dedicated COVID-19 Command Response team that is focused on business, employee, customer, and operational continuity during this time of crisis. They diligently follow the measures and strategies as laid down by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health departments. All the latest information related to coronavirus can be found on the official portal of CDC: https://www.coronavirus.gov.
The organisation is focused on helping the employees for which they have shared all the latest details through internal newsletters, email, videos and employee conversations.
Table of Contents
They are even using their Operations and HR functions to help the employees in every possible and they will continue to do it as long as it is needed. Actually, covid-19 has affected the United States postal service in many ways.
They are encouraging the employees and others to follow healthy behaviours. They have laid stress on certain important protocols including the use of hand sanitizers frequently, hand washing and cleaning of workspaces.
They have also asked the employees who are sick and affected becuase of Covid 19 or coronavirus to stay back at home. They have arranged for liberal leaves for the employees and are working in unison with the postal union to extend the leave options for the employees.
They have also changed their customer signature capture methods to cut down on the health risks.
Employees are given an electronic gadget in which they are supposed to get the customer’s signature from a safe distance. This is mandatory to follow coronavirus pandemic.
For extra safety, the employees are asked to request the customers to stand at a safe distance while receiving the parcel or mail. They can also leave the mail in the receptacle if the door is closed.
They are proud to see the way their employees are handling things and working dedicatedly even in the face of this epidemic.
The employees are showcasing a great job in transporting, processing and delivering parcels and mails. The postal service is one of the essential services for the American public. They form an important part of the nation’s infrastructure. The USPS working hours during coronavirus pandemic will be the same as a regular days.
The US postal service is not only used for delivering letters but also for the delivery of important items like medications and checks.
They are also the leading delivery service in the country when it comes to online purchases. According to the 39 U.S.C. 101(a), “The US Postal Service will continue to operate to provide to the people by the US government.”
According to WHO’s statement, the chances of a person contaminating commercial items with COVID-19 is less. The package is transported through different conditions and is also exposed to different temperatures.
CDC has said that the survivability of the virus is low on such surfaces. Therefore, there is not enough risk involved for it to spread from goods to humans. Not just that but some of these packages are shipped for days and weeks while being exposed to different temperatures.
Coronavirus mostly spread from respiratory droplets. Currently, the country doesn’t have any case where the person is infected from imported goods. However, one needs to be careful.”
The USPS workers are forced to work despite the lack of funding and protection. The workers don’t have the required protection. Not just that but even the mail volume has reduced drastically. The postal service is short of funds because of which the mail service is facing a hard time. There are chances that USPS may be shut down in June 2020.
Is it possible to get infected from a FEDX, USPS or UPS package?
The COVID-19 virus is known to spread mainly from humans to humans. They spread from respiratory droplets. But the chances of getting infected from an infected mail package is relatively low. That’s because the mail is shipped for days and weeks. Not just that but they are also exposed to varying temperatures.
Will COVID-19 disrupt the mail delivery system in the country?
At this point, your delivery of mail from USPS is not affected by a coronavirus. But given the situation of the workers, it is expected that soon there will be problems in the mail delivery system. It is an important service as they help deliver important items like medicines along with mails and packages.
Can an infected USPS worker spread the virus fast?
The US postal service irradiates all their mails and packages. Therefore, the chances of a carrier getting affected by mails are less. However, if the carrier is infected from some other source, then he can spread the virus to others who come in contact with him. This is why high precautionary steps are being taken at the US postal service.
It is hard to speak for FEDx and Amazon but USPS will continue to operate and therefore, the mail delivery system will not be disrupted because of the pandemic. The US postal service is the leading mail delivery system in the country that is known to ship essential items like medicines, mails, and packages.
Is it true that USPS will shut down by June 2020 because the $2 trillion stimulus package has not provided any funding for its operation?
The current situation of USPS is not impressive. They are running short of funds and have requested for debt forgiveness and a quick cash injection of $2 trillion. However, none of their requests have been included in the coronavirus stimulus package. This can eventually lead to the shutdown of the US postal service in June 2020. However, the government and the concerned authorities are trying their best to keep the mail delivery system alive.
What are the measures taken by USPS for the protection of their workers?
With the increasing number of coronavirus cases, the USPS has asked the workers who are sick to stay back home. They are also provided with masks and sanitizers. Not just that but they are asked to clean the workplace often and even wash their hand frequently. For extra protection, they are also given electronic signature machines so that they can take a customer’s signature from a safe distance. They are also thinking of expanding the leave for the sick workers.
How to get USPS postage stamps while isolating to slow down the spread of the virus?
The best way to get USPS postage stamps during isolation in this pandemic is to order it online from the official website of USPS.
Does the USPS website have issues with scheduling a pickup delivery because of the current pandemic?
Yes, some issues are going on with the USPS website because of the current pandemic. However, the concerned authorities are looking into the matter to get it fixed as soon as possible. Many of the customers complained that they are unable to track their mail orders.
Does the US postal service still irradiate mail?
Yes, the US postal service has ordered to irradiate mails and packages to curb down the spread of coronavirus. However, this is not applicable to all mails. Mails that are going to government offices in Washington are only being irradiated.
I hope you have enough information regarding usps statement on coronavirus.
Note: We have collected this information from various sources.


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Behind the headlines – a proper look at the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT)
As is always the case with developments in technology, the hype can distract from the real benefits and potential applications, and IoT is no exception. This event will go beyond the headlines about talking fridges to explore what the Internet of Things is all about and the breadth of potential it offers. As well as hearing from speakers, you’ll have the chance to see demos of IoT applications and get hands on with hardware.
Join the DMC and Sheffield Digital on Thursday 9th February 2017 from 5.30pm to find out some of the exciting developments in IoT and how it applies to you and your business.
The DMC has teamed up with Sheffield Digital to produce a series of three events looking at some of the latest developments in tech in our region. We’ll be inviting speakers from local companies and institutions to bring us up-to-date on their work and how their products are being used.
Paul Beech and Emma Cooper from Pimoroni:
Sheffield-based Pimoroni are the only company in Europe to be a hardware kit partner for Android Things, Google’s new IoT platform https://sheffield.digital/posts/pimoroni-partners-with-google-on-launch-of-android-things/
In a talk called ‘Also, it Should Tweet’, Paul and Emma will cover what they understand IoT to be, what Android Things is and what you can do with their new Rainbow HAT product.
Roy Woodhead, owner of consultancy IoT Transforms, will be giving us his view on the Internet of Things and how it is helping to bring about the next Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0). Before setting up his own business, Roy had many years of experience at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, most recently working on HPE’s Industrial Internet of Things solutions.
More speakers to be confirmed
Speakers will also bring equipment so that you can experience their technologies for yourself.
Who should attend?
Anyone interested in current developments in IoT technology from developers and tech entreprenuers through to any business who wants to learn how IoT can help them in their business or what the market opportunity is for them.
“‹Book your tickets today and add the dates of our next event to your diary: 9th March.”‹
Drinks and food will be served.
‘Exploring the Internet of Things’ has been organised by the DMC, in collaboration with Sheffield Digital, an organisation dedicated to promoting digital industries across the region. It is part of a short series of events to encourage local digital and creative businesses, as well as people interested in the digital industries, to innovate, network and collaborate.


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Recently, even countries like South Korea which have cheap and advanced banking solutions employed new regulations for bank account and credit card registrations this year, rendering the entire process of creating bank-supported payment methods significantly more difficult.
FISCO to Start a Crypto-Exchange in Japan - Bitcoin
Kenya-Bitcoin-Revolution – IamSatoshi
Uganda May Pave Way for Bitcoin Regulations in Africa
BitBond and Bitpesa target P2P loans for African Businesses
Bitcoin Filling Payment System Gaps in Kenya - CoinjournalFor instance, South Korean users were previously allowed to create bank accounts in both national and commercial banks with little to no funds.In July 2013 a project began in Kenya linking bitcoin with M. its anti-money laundering regulations to processors of.In many underbanked and underserved countries like India and Kenya, Bitcoin.Central Bank of Kenya said in an official statement that bitcoin is not legal tender in the country.New Survey Reviews Bitcoin Regulations around the. bitcoin jingle bitcoin khan academy bitcoin kenya bitcoin kinetics bitcoin keiser bitcoin kiertue bitcoin.
York will soon be presenting its latest regulations regarding...The Commonwealth Secretariat will create a digital repository of best practices and model regulations as part of.The Central Bank of Kenya took out local newspaper. out newspapers ads to warn against buying Bitcoin. with these regulations and has received a.He compared it to not having to fully understand how a combustion engine works in order to regulate the taxi industry.With the multi-billion dollar industry of remittance struggling to deal with increasing costs and fees for cross-border payments, the entrance and emergence of Bitcoin-payments-focused startups and exchanges has never been in such a high demand.Bitcoin News: Uganda May Pave Way for Bitcoin Regulations in Africa.
With bitcoin use on the rise, African countries eyeSafaricom cuts M-Pesa link to bitcoin dealer Kipochi (Kenya) By.With bitcoin use on the rise, African countries eye regulations.In many underbanked and underserved countries like India and Kenya, Bitcoin has proven to be a cheaper and more efficient alternative to other mobile payment networks, like mPesa.
African nations may soon introduce Bitcoin regulations as the digital currency. countries like Uganda and Kenya are taking a more proactive approach by.Annotations by Eli Blood-Patterson, a student at New York University School of Law.Cryptocurrency exchange Remitano has expanded beyond Asian countries to offer its bitcoin remittance services to millions of occupants in Africa.Kenya, and Tanzania. outside of Vietnamese cryptocurrency regulations.
Bitcoin: New Regulations in Japan | Eastern Daily NewsBitcoin comes from. criticized the conventional monetary system and policies citing government regulations,.
NY Proposes Bitcoin Regulations - BankInfoSecurityWhile Bitcoin as a global currency still continues to receive heavy criticisms due to its inability to process small payments, it remains as one of the very few currencies that is able to secure international remittances and transactions.Safaricom had stopped Lipisha, the payment gateway for both BitPesa and M-Pesa, from processing M-Pesa transactions and later restored it as long as M-Pesa ended its relationship with BitPesa.BitPesa founder Elizabeth Rossiello said the company was able to expand in Nigeria more easily than in Kenya.The central bank did not require each employee to understand how SMS messaging networks work before allowing M-Pesa to begin operating.
More Bitcoin Regulation Is Inevitable - The New York Times
Kipochi offers first Mobile Bitcoin Wallet in AfricaBitcoin Exchanges May be Required to Procure a License Last week new.Bitcoin.com.Kipochi offers first Mobile Bitcoin. they are not going to work with the US because of regulations at.Also read: Professor Urges New Zealand Government to Develop Bitcoin Regulations.Regulators could work with innovators to see how the technology applies in order to create legislation or engagement rules, Fedynyshyn said.
Remittances are a hot topic for four reasons: Remittance fees (12%) are higher in Africa than in any other continent (the global average is 8% and in South-East Asia.August 8, 2017 Coin Telegraph altcoins, bitcoin, bitcoin ethereum, bitcoin market cap, bitcoins, blockchain, blockchains,. ethereum, ico, Regulations,.Bitcoin Worldwide Legal and Adoption Status 0. set of reforms and new regulations that could lead to Bitcoin being a.In July 2013 a project began in Kenya linking bitcoin with. in the history of bitcoin,. anti-money laundering regulations to processors of bitcoin.The efforts of investment firms like Digital Currency Group in continuing to provide capital to innovative exchanges and payment service providers will lead the cross-border payment market for Bitcoin into new territories.In Kenya, for example, bitcoin users fit a certain demographic,.
A couple of days ago I perused the Kenyan NATIONAL PAYMENT SYSTEM ACT (No. 39 of 2011)THE NATIONAL PAYMENT SYSTEM REGULATIONS, 2014 (pdf).Title: Kenya Revenue Authority Aims To Impose Stricter Tax Compliance Message: The financial situation in Kenya is slowly spiraling out of control.
Kenya: Are Bitcoins the Future of Mobile Money
Kenya | TransLegalLester Coleman is a media relations consultant for the payments and automated retailing industries.Home Legal New Regulation State of Regulation 2017, Bitcoin and Blockchain Regulation in the. when it comes to bitcoin regulations,.
Uganda Could Become First African Nation To Adopt Bitcoin Regulations. which is owned by BitPesa of Kenya,.


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Article | July 31, 1995
Delaney Clause in crosshairs
The Delaney Clause is unlikely to survive the current assault from GOP lawmakers, which is coming from several directions. H.R. 1627, the "Food Quality Protection Act of 1995," whose provisions include replacement of Delaney with a negligible risk standard, has strong bipartisan support from ranking Republican and Democratic members of key committees including Agriculture and Department Operations and Nutrition.
Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-VA) is pushing the bill which has garnered a large number of co-sponsors and has the enthusiastic backing of the food industry and packaging interests. "H.R. 1627 strengthens and updates America's food safety laws" said the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) in a prepared statement. "There is widespread agreement by the food industry regulatory agencies and consumer organizations alike that existing pesticide law-particularly the 1950s-era Delaney Clause-is outdated unworkable and must be reformed." The Delaney clause or the elimination thereof also was included in the comprehensive regulatory reform measure that was pending in the Senate at presstime.
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In what could turn out to be a game-changing moment for India’s rapidly growing online grocery/packaged food selling domain, Amazon has now applied for a license (via ET) for stocking up and selling locally produced food items, with the DIPP. The company is planning to do so via a wholly owned Indian subsidiary, with an initial investment of half a billion dollars.
To make things more clear on which Indian startups will face the heat from this, this domain is the same under which the likes of BigBasket and Grofers operate. And even though, two of India’s biggest companies have received decent financial backing in the domain, Amazon’s seriousness in lieu of this latest venture can be gauged from the fact that its initial investment is way more than the combined investment received by BigBasket (~$247 Million) and Grofers (~$165 Million).
And then there’s Amazon’s known tendency of pushing in more cash into its Indian ventures — we are aware of that with its multi-billion dollar investments into Amazon India.
According to what sources have told ET, Amazon has filed its application with DIPP, the Indian Government department which handles foreign investment in retailing and e-commerce. The company plans to invest $500 million over five years and could start selling locally-produced food items within six months of obtaining approval, the person said.
While there has been no official confirmation on the same, an Amazon spokesperson told The Tech Portal,
We are excited by the government’s continued efforts to encourage FDI in India for a stronger food supply chain. We have sought an approval to invest and partner with the government in achieving this vision.
Now, even though this news could evoke Flipkart-like reactions (pleading Govt. to save them from foreign competition) from companies in this domain, this would be a huge relief and big win for the Government itself.
Reason being, post that landmark liberalisation last budget, which allowed for a 100% FDI in retailing of processed foods made in India, not even a single foreign retailer has made use of it. There have been repeated speculations of WalMart making an entry, but nothing has materialised as of now. With Amazon’s entry, things could change for the Government, as it clearly struggles to attract FDI despite decent policy initiatives.
Amazon’s entry, could also invite the likes Walmart to compete with the global e-commerce giant, as has recently been the case with the two in the US.
Multiple media reports also claim, that after the dreary response to that landmark regulation, the Government tried to drum up investments by inviting companies including Walmart, Nestle, Heinz and Thailand’s CP Foods to seek their feedback and investment plans.


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Small business were put on display during the 29th annual Frank G. Berlin, Sr. Small Business Awards, hosted by the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. More than 500 guests gathered at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota to celebrate the achievements of small businesses in the Sarasota community.
"What an incredible honor and recognition for our community," said Heather Kasten, president of Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. "It's not just the world-renowned beaches and the rich cultural history here. They all do contribute to the allure of Sarasota, but I think that everyone in this room also knows that at the heart of recognition and Sarasota's prosperity are the men and women of our business community."
Awards were given in the categories of hospitality and tourism, nonprofit, products and services, professional services, retail and top small business of the year.
To qualify, businesses had to be a member of The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, operate with 75 employees or less and be a locally owned-and-operated organization for a minimum of three years.


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Rebels had seized the capital of Tripoli two months.
with little status or influence over the narratives told about their countries. AP officials say the dismantling of the two-tier labor system is.
“That said, cost of living is very dependent on lifestyle,” says Jason Holland, IL Roving Latin America Editor. “Thanks to the influence of tourism.
representing the seat of power of the vampire co.
To understand the true power of disruption that streaming media.
“Streaming was phenomenal for consumers and increased capital spend, but it led to a ‘lottery ticket’ system, where you’d need a few.
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Today’s top tech news, February 20: Gobi Partners and Sonae IM invest in AI company ViSenze – Also Read: SensorFlow secures US$2.7M Series A funding from Pierre Lorinet “Visuals have incredible power and influence over buying decisions.
has poured is that a quarter of Singapore’s seed capit.
Chicago Is About to See the Most Consequential Election in a Generation – After a jury found Jason.
capital in Chicago government. Chicago’s finance markets, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Board of Trade, are run by the CME Group, a global financial power.
Amazon: Now in Your Internet – That’s a lot of capital that could come into the.
that Amazon is going when they want to have more influence on the shopping habits and the online presence habits in our own homes. Greer: Jason, we.


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The Landmark Archives - Inside Retail Asia
Following a transformation, the Louis Vuitton Hong Kong Landmark has a new look.
Harvey Nichols Hong Kong has reopened its store at The Landmark following a three-month renovation.
Award-winning hospitality entrepreneur Yenn Wong’s newest dining concept, Mak Mak restaurant, has opened on the second floor of The Landmark.
First Hong Kong lost its mantle as the world leader in retail rents. Now the global ratings agency Fitch has issued a chilling warning. Fitch said in a statement Thursday that street-level shops in Hong Kong’s prime areas are vulnerable to the persistent weakness in luxury retail sales and their rents will likely decline at double-digit rates in 2015. In contrast, shopping malls with well-established tenant mixes could outperform the market with flat to slightly positive rental growth in 2…
British luxury shoe and accessories brand Charlotte Olympia has opened its first standalone store in Asia – in Hong Kong. The store is located inside The Landmark and features a ‘gold spider web’ in the window, a mirrored wall and leopard-print furniture. The brand was founded by Charlotte Olympia Dellal in 2008. Charlotte Olympia designs are inspired by the by-gone era of old-Hollywood glamour and pin-ups and movie stars from the 1940’s and 50’s. “The Asian market is one the brand …
French luxury shoe retailer to set up regional headquarters in Hong Kong.


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Less than two weeks ago, Spacetime Studios launched a new cross-platform, sci-fi themed MMORPG called Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles. It's similar to the developer's previous fantasy-themed MMORPG, Pocket Legends, which offers a third-person perspective and a free-to-play/microtransaction payment structure. The game is currently up and running on the Android platform, but Spacetime Studios plans to release the PC client next.
"When we launched Pocket Legends on Android we were blown away by the response from the community. Android has since become the leading revenue driver and our primary focus," says Cinco Barnes, Chief Vision Officer, Spacetime Studios. "It is so easy to publish apps on their Market that it became a no-brainer for us to flip the standard mobile game strategy on its head and launch on Android before any other OS."
Gamers who were turned off by Pocket Legends' cuddly characters may find Star Legends a bit more mature. The structure overall is still the same although fans of Sega's Phantasy Star Online games may actually feel quite at home here (sans the Mags): players meet and team up, purchase supplies and weapons, and take on external quests via six different base facilities including the UCS Blackstar, the asteroid mining facility Delta-7, the planet Numa Prime and more.
As for character types, players can choose between Engineer, Commando (tank) and Operative (assassin). They can also join guilds which in turn have the ability to distribute weapons, armor and other items to each member. And despite its mobile-sized platform, Star Legends looks, acts and feels like any other MMORPG on the PC... possibly because Blackstar concept was originally slated as a PC-based title.
"In creating Blackstar, Spacetime Studios leveraged the Spacetime Engine," the company said back in February. "Founded on technology from the PC MMO world with more than $10 million invested in development, the Spacetime Engine allows production of high-quality games for iOS, Android, PC, Mac and Linux-based platforms. The first of its kind, the engine successfully manages the inherent processing, storage, and bandwidth issues of an MMO allowing seamless global play on mobile phones, i-devices, and tablets via Wi-Fi, Edge, 3G and 4G connections."
So given the game's PC roots, where is the PC client? Spacetime Studios CEO Gary Gattis told Tom's that they are currently "working on a Chrome port right now," and that "this will probably be the first one out of the gate, but a thin [separate] client will follow." There's still no sign of the iOS version: the game was expected to be out "within the next two weeks" back in July according to a forum update.
For those who are still hacking away at the original fantasy-themed Pocket Legends, Gattis told Tom's that a Chrome client is also in the works, but won't be released until the Star Legends version hits Google's browser.


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Zhang Yang, the new director of the Chinese military's General Political Department, is 61 years old. A table accompanying a front-page article Wednesday about changes in China's military leadership incorrectly said he is 62.
A chart that accompanied a World News article Wednesday about Spain's economy should have shown these changes in gross domestic product from the previous quarter: 0% for the third quarter of 2011, negative 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2011 and negative 0.3% in the first quarter of 2012. The chart incorrectly showed plus 0.8%, plus 0.3% and negative 0.4%, respectively.
The U.S. online-advertising market grew by 14% year-to-year in the first half of 2012, says the Interactive Advertising Bureau. A Corporate News article Wednesday about Yahoo Inc. YHOO -2.74% Yahoo! Inc. U.S.: Nasdaq $40.93 -1.16 -2.74% Sept. 19, 2014 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 231.10M AFTER HOURS $40.65 -0.28 -0.68% Sept. 19, 2014 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 2.77M P/E Ratio 33.83 Market Cap $40.71 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $378,594 09/19/14 Alibaba Debut Makes a Splash 09/19/14 Yahoo's Core Business Value Cu... 09/19/14 Alibaba IPO to Give Yahoo Wind... More quote details and news » 's financial results incorrectly said 14% annually.


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Landmark, a South African Franchise that supplies farming products and equipment opened its doors to Maun farmers last week.
The franchise offers a wide variety of agrochemicals and as well as irrigation, and farming and gardening equipment.
When officially opening the Maun Branch, District Agricultural Coordinator Phizha Mabutha expressed the Ministry of Agriculture’s appreciation of a store of Landmark’s nature opening its doors in Maun.
Agriculture is the backbone of many people’s livelihood, therefore having a store that specializes in agricultural products aimed at improving people’s lives was indeed a welcome development in the North West district capital, Mabutha noted.
“I hope the store will attract and encourage both subsistence and commercial farmers to be more productive especially in Ngami land as supply of the most needed implements and equipment for farming will be at their door step.” he said.
Encouraging Maun farmers to use readily available water from the Thamalakane River to boost production, Mabutha said, “Now that you have irrigation equipment sold at your door step at Landmark store there’s no reason why you cannot take advantage of the river water to improve production.”
“As developments like this come our way, I will like to see transformation in our lives and a reduction of reliance on importations of fruits and vegetables from other countries as we intensify production of our own locally,” he said
He further encouraged the North West community to start their own backyard gardens using simple irrigation systems that will greatly improve the standard of living and eradicate poverty and reduce unemployment among many.
The Landmark store Managing Director, Nadeem Mustapha asked the public to come up with more information on what products they wanted sold in the shop and added that the store will open more branches should demand arise.
Mustapha further noted that Landmark store has the best possible products at the best prices in the market. A coffee shop and a nursery will soon open doors at the store for farmers and gardening enthusiasts to mix a bit of pleasure with business during their shopping.


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FRANKFURT (AP) – Shoe and sports clothing maker Adidas said on Monday it had started a third sale of the Yeezy sneakers it was left with after severing ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.
The company has accompanied the sales with donations to groups fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate.
Adidas broke up with Ye in October 2022 over his antisemitic and other offensive comments. It has sought a way to responsibly dispose of EUR1.2 billion worth of unsold shoes.
The company said it plans to release the remaining Yeezy inventory in the course of this year.
The company said the latest release started on Monday on digital platforms. The range available will be products from 2022 including what Adidas said were some of its most popular designs. Last year Adidas earned EUR750 million in revenue from two Yeezy releases, down from EUR1.2 billion in 2022.
The company spent months looking for a solution. Burning the shoes was ruled out, restitching them to hide the brand rejected as dishonest, and giving them away could have created a resale market. Instead it decided to sell them and donate part of the proceeds.


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ENTREPRENEURSHIP GAINING INTEREST AT OTHER SCHOOLS AS WELL
Of course, HBS and the GSB are not the only schools reporting increased interest in entrepreneurship among MBAs in recent years. “We’re seeing a big increase in interest in entrepreneurship in the student body compared to five to 10 years ago,” says Jeremy Kagan, the managing director of the Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship at Columbia Business School.
“More and more MBA students are realizing they will be entrepreneurs or at least entrepreneurial in their careers at some point — whether or not they start a company while in school, or five or 10 years later, or simply join a thriving growth company,” Kagan continues. “Columbia has not only expanded and deepened its curriculum for entrepreneurs, but also the definition of entrepreneurship and innovation.”
Kagan says the school has built upon foundational courses like the Foundations of Entrepreneurship and Lean Launchpad to include coursework on “everything from building an enterprise sales team to design thinking.” What’s more, he says, “We also have broadened our audience, engaging not just entrepreneurs planning to launch their company while in school, but recognizing those for whom the big idea hasn’t yet come or the timing isn’t right and encouraging them to build their skill sets as well.”
MIT’S ‘FOUR H’S’ OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
At MIT’s Sloan School of Management, intermingling is the modus operandi.
“We are completely integrated with the rest of the school. So when MBAs come here, to our center, they walk across the street and they’ll see engineers, policy people, lawyers, post-docs,” says Bill Aulet, managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. “Entrepreneurship, if it’s just MBAs is interesting, but if it’s MBAs plus technical people, policy people, and design people, that’s an order of magnitude more interesting and that’s what we’re focusing on.”
Aulet says Sloan’s approach is less about raising capital and starting companies.
“If someone invests in you, they want your fish. If you go to an economic development agency, they want you to start a company. Here, we’re teaching them how to fish,” Aulet explains. “We’re teaching them how to become entrepreneurs. Those entrepreneurs may start companies or they may work at McKinsey or the New York City government or work at MIT.”
With that comes the “four H’s” of entrepreneurship. Aulet says first is teaching future entrepreneurs to have heart. “An entrepreneur is anti-fragile. That means they can thrive in instability,” he says. Next, successful entrepreneurs must have a head. “Do they have the knowledge needed,” Aulet says. After that it’s having hands, or being able to put theory into action, and lastly it’s home, or being part of a community and being able to create and expand communities.
Aulet says the ability to raise venture capital is not an indicator of entrepreneurial ability. “I don’t believe how much money you raise is a proxy of how good of an entrepreneur you are,” he says. “I know it’s not as sexy, because people always want to say, how much investment money has your company raised, how much revenue have they done, how many jobs have they created. And we can give you numbers that would blow your brains out. But that’s not what we should be focusing on. That’s a misnomer.”
But if venture capital money is the route for a startup, Aulet recommends heeding some advice.
“One you take that money, you have lit a fuse. It’s a really great fuse and it’s a powerful fuse. But you better know where you’re going. Because you’ve lit a fuse and you only have a certain amount of time,” he says, noting it’s best to push the fundraising out until startups have a clearer idea of product-market fit, an execution plan, and a culture. “If you’re at the point where the only risk you have is a financial risk, then raising $5 million is a beautiful thing. If you don’t know where you’re going, raising $5 million can destroy a potentially good company.”
MBA FOUNDERS OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS
Over the past five years, no top MBA program has produced more startup founders immediately after graduation than Harvard Business School: 356, ahead of second-place Stanford GSB’s 297. When size of class is taken into account, however, the GSB’s percentages of graduate founders has doubled Harvard’s over the past five years. Wharton has produced the third-most MBA founders immediately after graduation over the past five years with 216. Columbia Business School follows with 146, and MIT Sloan rounds out the top five with 137.
No matter the school, entrepreneurship faculty and leaders are high on bringing potential startup ideas with you when entering into full-time MBA programs.
“If you have a venture idea, by all means, bring it into your class projects and apply what you’re learning to evaluate that venture idea,” Whitman says. “Several alumni entrepreneurs who percolated a new venture idea while in their MBA program and then started the company after graduation have said that having a startup idea in mind helped them get more about of all their MBA classes, because they kept thinking about how they would apply the learning in any class to their startup idea. So, I think evaluating one (or more) new venture ideas while you’re in your MBA program is a great, hands-on, way to learn that important skill. If you identify and vet a startup idea that you think is so amazing that you want to invest your next career move in it, I’d encourage most students to plan to launch it after you graduate so you can give your startup the best shot possible.”